Independent participatory media for Iran

The Iranian minister of culture and guidance says 4 million Iranian internet users are on Facebook and it is not practical for the government to persist in imposing restrictions on access to the social media site.

ISNA reports that Ali Jannati said on Sunday March 2: “The preservation of Islamic values cannot be used as an excuse to stop the growth of something in the country. Therefore, the issue of Facebook is one of those things that will be resolved with time.”

Jannati went on to call for fewer restrictions in accessing the internet and social networking sites.

The ministries of education, communications and IT, intelligence, justice, science and technology and culture all have representatives on the Committee for the Determination of Cyber Criminal Activities. The committee also has members from the Islamic Promotion Organization, National Broadcasting and Security forces. The committee determines the level of censorship that should be imposed on internet access.

The ministry of culture does not have sole authority to determine the level of censorship.